Paul Flaherty

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Artist Biography

Alto and tenor saxophonist Paul Flaherty is New England's purveyor of the ecstatic jazz pulse. Even before his 1978 debut Flaherty remained unshakable in the pursuit of soul healing and demon dashing through freedom music. That first record, In the Midst of Chaos was cut with his local clan, under the banner Orange. For the next 20 years Flaherty remained exclusively in the great North East and recording over a dozen blasting, freely improvised albums with drummer Randall Colbourne, and others, for Cadence and their own Zaabway imprint. Wet Paint is Flaherty's current imprint for the occasional self-release.

Selected Press

He's been at it since the '70s and has become an underground champion of chasing the Eternal Now. The subject of these sonic musings is freedom--freedom from the constraints of traditional harmonic, melodic, and compositional forms--freedom to go, baby, go wherever the Spirit takes him.

Farrell Lowe, All About Jazz

Often incredibly descriptive with myriad small details fleshing out the larger picture; other times he paints in bigger broader strokes. This is New England improvisational saxophonist Paul Flaherty's second solo album... He coaxes sounds out of his alto and soprano saxophones that I have never heard before, and besides his musical inventiveness, he's got more raw energy than three people.

George Parsons, Dream Magazine on Flaherty's 2006 solo album Whirl of Nothingness